Fireproof floor and ceiling



UNITED STATES CHARLES A. BALPH, OF PITTSBURG, AND ELISHA P. S. WRIGHT, OF AVALON,

PATENT @OEE-ICE.

PENNSYLVANIA. 4

FIREPROOF FLOOR AND CEILING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 527,042, dated October 9, 1894.

Application iiled February 23, 1894. Serial No. 501,.'106.y (No model.)

VTo a/ZZ whom it may concern:

1 scription thereof.

Our invention relates to the construction of fire-proof iioors and ceilings.

The fire-proof door most generally in use to-day is the hollow tile floory composed of either hard or porous tile. The hollow tile door is dependent on the skill and care of irresponsible workmen who may, or may not, set the arches properly, and accordingly .the strength of such a door is often impaired by poor workmanship. Again, a sudden jarring load may break the key of a flat tile arch and destroy its bond, the result being a caving in of a section of the `Iloor. Furthermore, the hollow tile door is designed to carry certain loads and cannot be graduated to suit the requirements of particular buildings, the cost of construction being practically the same whether the floor is to be used for a heavy storage warehouse or for light office purposes.

The object of our invention is to provide a iire-proof floor or ceiling which does not require the employment of skilled labor in its construction; one which is not only incombnstible in itself, but capable of resisting to the highest degree the effect of heat, and one that will not disintegrate under the combined raction of heat and water; one which can be speedily constructed and put into service; one that Will prevent the transmission of sound from one story to another, together withv certain other advantageous qualitiesv which it is not necessary to enumerate here.

Our invention consists, generally stated, in connecting the oor beams at intervals by means of rods or bars, placing a Wire network over said bars or rods, and embedding and covering the bars and wire net-Work with a strong cement concrete.

Our invention further comprises certain details of construction and combination of parts, all of which will be fully hereinafter set forth and claimed.

To enable othersskilled in the art to make and use our invention, we will describe the same more fully, referring to the accompanying drawings in which- Figure 1 is a cross-section of a portion of a door and ceiling before the application of the cement to the floor and showing the cemented ceiling. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a section of the floor and ceiling showing more clearly the construction before the cement is applied to the ceiling. Fig. 3 is a like View showing the cement in place. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section at right angles to Fig. 1 showing the cement applied to the ceiling and showing the construction before the cement is applied to the floor. Fig.`5 is a like view showing the construction before the cement is applied to the ceiling. Fig. 6 is a View of the finished floor and ceiling, and showing the means of opening communication between the differentY air spaces, and Fig. 7 is a view of a modified form of bar.

Like letters indicate like parts in each of the figures.

In Fig. 1 of the drawings we have represented a portion of a floor in section, o. designating I-beams arranged at suitable intervals apart and having their ends supported in the ordinary manner.

Fitting over the I-beams are the stirrups b 'which straddle said beams and support the on said bars, thus tending to diminish the strength of said beams. The bars c are preferably supported on their edges and are formed with the longitudinal ribs c', which serve'to aid in supporting the concrete, as will more fullyhereinafter appear.

A wire-netting d of suitable mesh is supported by the bars c, Where it is found necessary to sustain the body of concrete between said bars c, said wire netting by passing as indicated over these transverse supporting bars enabling them to carry a greater load and to be placed at farther distances apart;

though the transversely extending bars c may be employed to support the concrete without the use of the wire net-ting if desired, the bars being placed nearer to each other.

Vhere a ceiling is desired tie-rods e are elnployed to connect the beams a, but Psaid tierods are preferably placed as close as possible to the lower flange ofthe beam, instead of in the center thereof. rlhe tie-rods e are brought to perfect tension by the nuts e'. A wire-netting e2 also passes over the tie-rods@ in the same manner as the wire-netting d, above referred to.

As the construction of the ceilingis usually the first step, a temporary platform to support the concrete while it is heilig laid is first erected. This platform is usually termed by the builder a centering, and we will designate it by that term throughout the specification and claims. This centeringf is usually formed of wood and is supported by the rods g, said rods g in turn being supported by the bolts 7L having the hooked ends h2. We prefer to employ pipe for the rods g, as they are lighter and more easily handled. The bolts 7L are held at their upper ends within the plates t', said plates being bent to engage one of the flanges of the beam a. The centering is drawn up into position and held securely in place by means of the nuts 7L' on said bolts h,butwhen it is desired to draw the centering forward to construct another section of ceiling, by removing the nuts h the plates t can be moved along the beam, wh'le by striking the upper end of said bolts hthey can be withdrawn from the concrete from below,and moved forward together with the centering supported thereby, when said centering is again erected in position as before. Before drawing up the centering to position, however, the bottom faces of the lower flanges of the beams a are protected by strips of asbestos or like incombustible material j. The edges j of the asbestos strips j are turned up slightly so that when the concrete is packed the edges will be embedded therein and the asbestos securely held in place flush with the ceiling. The centeringfhaving been drawn up to position and the wire-netting having been` passed over the tie-rods e, a concrete, such as Portland cement and crushed furnace slag of the proper consistency,is thrown upon the wire-netting e2 and then packed down through the said netting onto the centering which gives the concrete a smooth even surface. The concrete is laid on thick enough to embed the tie-rods e. As the ingredients which compose the concrete are the products of the most intense heat, the result is a thoroughly fire-proof and non-conduction ceiling, which is entirely independent of the floor. The wire-netting e2sustains and imparts tensile strength to the concrete, and transmits the weight to the tie-rods e, while the asbestos under the beams a furnishes a thorough protection from heat where most needed.

Inconstructing the floor a centering lo is employed, said centering being supported in the same manner as the centeringf, namely, by the use of bolts Z which support the rods m, said bolts being secured to plates n by nuts o. The plates n engage the upper flange of the beamsa in the same manner as the plates z' The centering 7i; is provided with the sides 7c' so that when said centering 7c is in position a space will be left between the web of the beams ct and the sides k for the reception of the concrete to protect said beams.

The centering 7c having been arranged at the proper height to give the proper thickness to the door, andthe bars c and wire-netting d having been arranged as above described, a concrete similar to that before described is thrown onto the netting and packed down through said netting onto the surface of the centering lo, and at the same timeinto the space between the sides 7c of the centering and the webs of the beams a. Sufficient concrete is employed to completely coverand embed the bars c as well as the top of the beams a. t

The ribs c of the bars c serve to aid in supporting the concrete, while at the same time they increase the strength of said bars. The concrete is omitted, however, just around the bolts h and Zand the supporting plates fand n to allow for the removal of the nuts thereon and the loosening of said bolts so that they can be withdrawn from below when the centering is withdrawn. After the withdrawal of the bolts and the removal of the plates 1I, n, the space around said bolts and plates can 'then be filled up with concrete uniformly with the rest of the floor.

Ihe steel bars c transmit their load to the beams by means of the stirrups b and practically take the place of small beams, as they are equivalent in carrying power, the weight of the flanges being saved, as the concrete takes the place of the flanges, bracing the bars laterally so that the full carrying power of the web is secured. The bars c are even stronger than the beams are proportionately, as the concrete adds a greater strength to the bar than does the flange to a beam, the bars being embedded in and surrounded by a solid mass, which in time becomes as stone, and absolutely prevents any tendency to side deflection or buckling.

In Fig. 7 we have shown a modified form of the bars for supporting the floor. This bar s, instead of having longitudinal ribs thereon, is formed with the projections t which serve to catch the concrete and support the same.

We do not confine ourselves to any particular form of projections on the bars, as they may vary as desired. Any kind of roughened faces on said bars which will act to catch and holdtthe concrete may be employed. If the bars are arranged sullicieutly near to one another the net-work covering may be omitted.

The concrete used for this work is quicksetting, so that the centering can be moved IOS TIO

1o p, in case a wooden floor is to be employed;`

in a few hours and the next section may then be constructed. The tioor and ceiling are put in by sections, beginning at one Wall and building out therefrom to the opposite wall, but at the last section alight sheet iron centering is used which remains permanently in the structure.

The floor is brought up level with the beams a and within the concrete aref'the door strips but in case an asphalt, tile, or cement topping is to be applied the strips p are omitted, while theconcrete forms an excellent base for any such topping of asphalt, tile, or cement.

The space q between the floor and ceiling forms a sound deadening chamber, while at the same time, by opening communication between the several air spaces, the air may be circulated throughout the building and may be employed for Ventilating rooms. To form Athis communication between the air spaces q we employ the conduits r which may be formed of tin or other suitable material, said conduits extending from one air space up over the beam into the next one and so on throughout the building.

The features of advantage to the builderl which may be mentioned are these: The absence of great quantities of tile which greatly obstruct a building in course of erection and interfere with the progress of other work. Our floor can be put up quickly without obstructing the building and can be used immediately after construction. It leaves a floor as perfectly level as a cement door ina cellar. By havingtheoorentirelyindependent from the ceiling a heavy load carried by the floor puts no strain whatever on the ceiling. Any sagging of the ioor will not affect the ceiling. Holes can be cut through the floor at any point without impairing its strength, while at the same time pipes, conduits, &c., can be conducted through the air spaces between the floor and ceiling, without the labor and inconvenience of embedding them in the iioor filling. Furthermore, our construction tends to tie the building together, the door beingal homogeneous mass, which adds strength to the entire structure.

What we claim as our invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In a iioor or ceiling, the combination with the beams, of metal bars connecting said beams, an open-work covering extending over said bars, and concrete completely embedding said bars and open-work covering,-sub stantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. In a fioor orceilin g, the combination with the beams, of metal bars connecting said beams, said bars being supported by hangers on said beams, an open-work covering extending over said bars, and concrete completely embedding said bars and open-work covering, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3. In a floor or ceiling, the combination with the beams, of hangers straddling said beams, metal bars supported thereby, an open-work covering extending over said bars, and concrete completely embedding said bars and openwork covering, substantially as andV for the purposes set forth.

4:. In a door or ceiling, the combination with the beams, of metal bars connecting said beams, said bars being supported on their edges, an open-work covering extending over said bars, and concrete completely embedding said bars and open-work covering, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

5. In a floor or ceiling, the combination with the beams, of bars having longitudinal ribs formed thereon connecting said beams, said bars being supported on their edges, an open- Work covering extending over said bars, and concrete embedding said bars and open-work covering, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

6. In floor or ceiling construction, the combination with the beams, of a centering suspended therefrom, said centering having side pieces, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

7. The combination with the beams, of bars connecting the upper portions of said beams, an open-work covering extending over said bars, concrete embedding said bars and openwork covering, bars connecting the lower porf tions of said beamsan open-work covering extending over said bars, and concrete em-y bedding said bars and open-work, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

8. The combination with the main supporting beams, of solid metal supporting bars of length corresponding substantially to the space between the beams and extending transversely of and connected to the beams, said bars being supported on their edges, and a filling of concrete completely surrounding said bars and supported thereby, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

9. The combination with the main supporting beams, of solid metal supporting bars of length corresponding substantially to the spaces between the beams and extending transversely of and connected to the beams, said bars being supported on their edges and having longitudinal ribs on their side faces, and a filling of concrete completely surrounding said bars and supported thereby, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony whereof we, the said CHARLES A. BALPH and ELISHA P. S. WRIGHu have hereunto set our hands.

/ CHARLESY A. BALPH. ELisHA P. s. WRIGHT.

l Witnesses:

RoBT. D. ToTTEN, J. N. COOKE.

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